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Rafe was stunned He looked immediately at Gabe, only to see that his brother looked as poleaxed as he felt

"Didn’t Brinkley tell you that Miss Hawes feels she would beher meals below stairs?" Miss Pythian-Adams asked Gabriel

"Of course," Gabe said, and closed his mouth like a trap "I shall make certain that Miss Hawes is entirely comfortable"

"I’ll co from her chair "I am most anxious to meet my Mrs Loveit"

"Miss Hawes can be found in the theater," Brinkley announced

"In that case I shall co her shawl "I will aduest"

Rafe raised an eyebrow Apparently the entire household was desperate toactress who had so aroused Gabriel’s syht of it, he would quite like to en was finally looking at hirinned at her Her eyes were laughing, and she obviously agreed with him that the rush to the theater was ridiculous

For her part, Ien was in a state of what felt very like pure joy She’d been there fro a delicious warood

It wasn’t a thought she had entertained for years Not, she thought, since the moment she saw Draven Maitland Because the moment she saw his sweet, petulant face, and his sleek, yellow hair, she’d fallen into aand desire that had hardly been satisfied byhim In truth, not satisfied at all

She liked to tell herself that it inning to wonder about that opti sharp longing for Draven, and without the anguish that replaced it when they uish when he died

In fact, she felt like laughing All the time

"Your mother loved theatrical productions, didn’t she?" she asked Rafe, s up at him

"I believe that ’obsessed’ would not be too strong a word," he said reflectively "She created the theater, of course There used to be a supper rooracious, cavernous space now--"but she enlarged it into a theater shortly aftermy father Unfortunately, he showed no theatrical talent whatsoever, and less interest as the years passed"

The double doors at the end of the ballrooen paused for a moment on the threshold "It is beautiful," she said, awed

"She had it fashioned after the theater at Blenheim," Rafe explained The walls were entirely covered with vividthe ceiling The prosceniue was faced by rows of chairs upholstered in a deep red stripe

Just then a young girl with a face like an eager fla an eager greeting Then Miss Hawes--for surely it was Miss Hawes--dropped a very pretty curtsy to Griselda, who had just been introduced by Mr Spenser And now Miss Pythian-Ada at the actress intently "She’s no lady," he whispered to Ien replied "She’s so pretty" She was the prettiest girl I curls, to her little triangular face, to her large eyes and tri pink the color of blush roses It was a costuar

"Yes," Rafe said thoughtfully, "a fortunate attribute for an actress"